Welcome to another full night of college basketball as you build those CBB DFS lineups. Thursday's slate includes Michigan vs Iowa in a Big Ten showdown, Gonzaga facing BYU on the road, and a slew of Pac-12 matchups lasting late into the night for our CBB daily fantasy picks. You can build CBB DFS lineups tonight on DraftKings for the 8-game main slate tipping off at 6:30 pm ET with Ohio State vs Minnesota. If you're looking to play college basketball DFS this season, get full access to our CBB DFS Playbooks and Core Plays with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. Check out all the CBB DFS top picks, lineup strategies, teams to target, and value plays to lock in for tonight's college basketball action. If you have any questions about CBB daily fantasy lineup strategy, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Now, let's jump into the CBB DFS top plays and lineup picks for Thursday, January 12th.
College Basketball CBB DFS Slate & Betting Odds January 12
(via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- 6:30 pm ET – Minnesota at Ohio State (-15) – 136.5 O/U
- 7 pm ET – Michigan at Iowa (-5.5) – 154 O/U
- 9 pm ET – Arizona State at Oregon (-5.5) – 137.5 O/U
- 9 pm ET – Colorado at USC (-3.5) – 140 O/U
- 9:30 pm ET – Gonzaga (-6.5) at BYU – 153 O/U
- 11 pm ET – Arizona (-15.5) at Oregon State – 143.5 O/U
- 11 pm ET – Utah at UCLA (-12) – 135.5 O/U
- 11 pm ET – Stanford at Washington (-2) – 136.5 O/U
CBB Top Team Totals
(via KenPom.com)
- Iowa – 80
- Ohio State – 79
- Arizona – 79
- Gonzaga – 77
- Michigan – 75
- UCLA – 73
- BYU – 72
- USC – 72
- Colorado – 70
College Basketball CBB DFS Top Plays 1/12
CBB DFS Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| KJ Simpson | COL | USC | 8100 | 32.19 |
| After missing a game due to illness, Simpson returned over the weekend and struggled shooting it – going 1-for-8 from the field with just six points. He still put up 22 DK thanks to his seven rebounds and six assists. Assuming he’s feeling a bit better today, Simpson should return to his 35-40 DK production and stat-stuffing ways in a high-usage role for Colorado. There’s definitely risk after what he did last game and this being on the road, but the upside is there. | ||||
| Drew Peterson | USC | COL | 7600 | 32.5 |
| Peterson is at a season-low price point tonight after “only” putting up 23 DK last game. Expect a bounceback tonight, though, at home and in a pace-boost matchup vs Colorado. The point-forward should stuff the stat sheet like normal and anchor cash lineups like normal with 30-35 DFS points as the Trojans look to get back into the win column. | ||||
| Julian Strawther | GONZ | BYU | 7400 | 27.24 |
| Strawther has been an up-and-down DFS play all season, but we can count on him more now that Gonzaga is in conference play – especially in a tight road matchup vs BYU tonight. Strawther has taken on a bigger offensive role since the Zags began conference play. He has 30, 29, and 31 DK in the past three games while taking double-digit shot attempts in each and averaging 18.7 PPG. The Zags will again need him to be aggressive offensively to avoid the upset tonight, and this price tag is very affordable for cash or GPP. | ||||
| Kobe Bufkin | MICH | IOWA | 6700 | 25.42 |
| In a pace-boost and high-scoring matchup vs Iowa, both Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin are firmly in play tonight. Howard is better for GPPs, but Bufkin offers a slightly safer cash floor with upside himself. Bufkin has also been more involved offensively ever since Jaelin Llewellyn went out for Michigan. He’s averaging 15.6 PPG and 28 DK over the last seven games with Llewellyn out, including 26+ DK in six of those seven. We'll that production all day, though Bufkin likely goes overlooked on this slate with the slightly expensive price tag. | ||||
Also Consider:
- Jaime Jaquez – UCLA ($8000) – Cash
- Boogie Ellis – USC ($7000) – Cash/GPP
- Marco Anthony – Utah ($6800) – GPP
- Rasir Bolton – Gonzaga ($6200) – GPP
CBB DFS Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| David Singleton | UCLA | UTAH | 5600 | 19.61 |
| While Amari Bailey remains out for UCLA, Singleton is a solid bargain in his new starting role. He’s now scored in double figures with 20+ DK and 30+ minutes played in all three starts in Bailey’s absence. The price tag is starting to creep up, but he’s still a good value at sub-6k for cash lineups. | ||||
| Payton Sandfort | IOWA | MICH | 5600 | 17.84 |
| Sandfort is playing a much bigger role for Iowa now with Patrick McCaffrey out. In the past two games with his teammate sidelined, Sandfort has scored 11 and 22 points with 21 and 35 DK, respectively, as the Hawkeyes’ sixth-man. When he’s on the court, the sophomore is getting heavy offensive usage right now and it gives him a nice floor/ceiling combo at this affordable price in a high-scoring matchup tonight. | ||||
| Noah Williams | UW | STAN | 5500 | 16.8 |
| Williams has been playing a key role for Washington over the past two weeks after returning from injury. The senior guard has scored 12 and 15 points with 22 and 31 DK, respectively, over the last two games and he’s seen double-digit shot attempts in both. Williams’ price tag has risen, but he’s still a good cash value with this increase in offensive role. He’ll face the worst defensive team in the Pac-12 tonight in Stanford. | ||||
| Spencer Johnson | BYU | GONZ | 4900 | 19.45 |
| Johnson returned to BYU’s starting lineup last game and put up 22 DK across 32 minutes. He was a regular starter to begin the season but missed a month due to a knee injury. It looks like he’s back to normal now and is too cheap for the 4x or 5x potential value. Johnson is one of BYU’s veteran guys with experience playing Gonzaga, so he’ll be needed tonight to possibly pull off an upset. Plus, this is among the highest totals on the board between two uptempo teams. | ||||
Also Consider:
- Cole Bajema – Washington ($5700) – GPP
- Dug McDaniel – Michigan ($5500) – Cash
- Jaxson Robinson – BYU ($5200) – Cash/GPP
- Reese Dixon-Waters – USC ($5000) – Cash
- Luke O'Brien – Colorado ($4800) – GPP
CBB DFS Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| Azuolas Tubelis | ARIZ | ORST | 10100 | 39.06 |
| Tubelis is pricey, but he’s coming off of two stud performances and gets a favorable matchup here. The Arizona big man has 50+ DK in back-to-back games with some impressive stat lines while dominating the interior. He’s also now averaging 21.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 41 DK over the past 10 games. Opposing bigs have smashed an undersized Oregon State team this season, especially Tristan da Silva, Branden Carlson, and N’Faly Dante the last three games. Add Tubelis to the list tonight. | ||||
| Hunter Dickinson | MICH | IOWA | 8900 | 34.55 |
| Dickinson has only posted 30+ DK once in the past seven games, believe it or not. However, he has the potential to match that 50-burger against Maryland in this matchup vs Iowa. This will be an uptempo, high-scoring game and Iowa has a weak interior defense. Plus, Dickinson has had success against the Hawkeyes in previous years – including 21 points and 11 rebounds against them in a game last season. | ||||
| Brice Sensabaugh | OSU | MINN | 7300 | 26.5 |
| Sensabaugh has been a beast over the past month ever since Ohio State put him into the starting lineup and let him become the alpha scorer. The freshman has 30+ DK and 18+ points scored in six straight games and yet he’s still very affordable at this price tag. Bank on him being popular in all formats since he’s so cheap compared to other top players on the slate. Minnesota has the worst defense in the Big Ten so far and Sensabaugh should keep it going. | ||||
| Fousseyni Traore | BYU | GONZ | 6600 | 26.72 |
| If there’s one area to target Gonzaga, it’s inside with opposing big men. That’s been profitable almost all season for DFS because we know Drew Timme isn’t the strongest defender. Bigs vs the Zags are always in play with this matchup and the uptempo game environment. Traore has plenty of GPP upside tonight if he stays out of foul trouble and matches Timme’s production. He’s shown a 30+ DK ceiling at his best this season. | ||||
Also Consider:
- Drew Timme – Gonzaga ($10400) – GPP
- Kris Murray – Iowa ($9800) – Cash/GPP
- Tristan da Silva – Colorado ($7800) – GPP
- Keion Brooks – Washington ($7200) – Cash
CBB DFS Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG |
| Maxime Raynaud | STAN | UW | 5000 | 15.65 |
| Raynaud moved into Stanford’s starting lineup last game and put up 12 points, eight rebounds, and 26 DK in a season-high 31 minutes. The extended playing time at center was a result of James Keefe being out, so monitor that situation tonight. If Raynaud starts again, the potential 5x return is there against a weak rebounding team in Washington. | ||||
| Tyler Bilodeau | ORST | ARIZ | 4900 | 11.67 |
| The freshman is coming off the bench for Oregon State, but he’s still producing plenty when he’s on the court. Bilodeau has put up 24, 15, and 22 DK in the past three games and he’s playing a bigger role since Pac-12 play began. Even though the price tag has increased, the potential 4x value or better is there at sub-5k in a pace-boost spot tonight at home vs Arizona. | ||||
| Felix Okpara | OSU | MINN | 4300 | 12.03 |
| If Zed Key remains out for Ohio State, then Okpara is firmly in play as a value. He struggled last game and got into foul trouble while starting with Key out, but the opportunity is still there. Okpara stepped up for 20 DK two games ago when Key left early, so the upside is there if he avoids fouling. On the road at Maryland last time out was tougher than this matchup vs Minnesota. | ||||
Also Consider:
- Terrance Williams – Michigan ($5500) – GPP
- Joshua Ola-Joseph – Minnesota ($3900) – GPP
CBB DFS Core Plays
DK Cash:
- Julian Strawther – Gonzaga
- Brice Sensabaugh – Ohio State
- Payton Sandfort – Iowa
DK GPP:
- Hunter Dickinson – Michigan
- Fousseyni Traore – BYU
- Felix Okpara – Ohio State
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